SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA PROJECT

Transcription

1 SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA PROJECT Sadrettin Karahocagil 1, Aslıhan Güven 2 ABSTRACT The Southeastern Anatolia Project or -its Turkish acronym- is the most comprehensive, multi-sectoral, integrated regional development project ever carried out in. In 1970s the project was planned as a water resource development programme which includes the construction of 22 dams, 19 hydropower plants on the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, the irrigation network for 1.8 million hectares of land and also to control floods and droughts in south-east. In 1989, Master Plan was prepared and comprised of not only water resources development projects, but also investments in all development-related sectors. It adopted the philosophy of sustainable human development and based its activities upon the principles of participation, equity and social justice. As of 2015, within the scope of, 16 dams, 13 hydropower plants (HPP) and 1032 km of main irrigation canals were constructed. The land under irrigation reached 474,528 hectares. 2.4 million hectares of land was consolidated. This is the largest land consolidation operation in the world given effect in a single. Closed drainage project covers 55,000 hectares of land, and drainage work on 40,383 hectares of land is completed. 7,416 km long part of the planned 9,000 km long drainage network is also completed. Since the start of the project, healthcare facilities have been significantly upgraded. There were 75 hospitals and 8,488 beds in the region in In 2014, these figures were 123 and 16,895, respectively. Infant mortality rate dropped from 48.3 in thousand in 2002 to 15.9 at the end of Action Plan ( ) is still being implemented in the region. Its primary objectives include the completion of continuing investments, full utilization of the potential created by investments so as to accelerate economic, social and cultural development; enhancement of the competitive power of the region and carrying the project further ahead. Keywords: Southeastern Anatolia Project,, Water resource development, Competitive agenda, Action Plan, Developments in the. 1. THE SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA PROJECT () The Southeastern Anatolia Project or -its Turkish acronyms- is the most comprehensive, multi-sectoral, integrated, sustainable and human focused regional development project ever carried out in. The aims at improving the income level and life quality of people living in the region, eliminating regional development disparities, increasing productivity and 1 President, al Development Administration ( RDA). DoğukentMah. 104.Cad. No: 1155/2 Karaköprü / ŞANLIURFA; karahocagil@gap.gov.tr 2 General Koordinator of the Strategic Planing, Monitoring-Evaluation and Coordination Department, al Development Administration ( RDA). DoğukentMah. 104.Cad. No: 1155/2 Karaköprü / ŞANLIURFA; aguven@gap.gov.tr 1

2 employment opportunities in rural areas, and contributing the targets of economic growth and social stability at national level. 1.1 The The project area covers nine provinces (Adıyaman, Batman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak) in the southeastern. Known as the region, this area in the basin of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers corresponds to 10% of the country in terms of both population and area. The total area of the region is 75,000 km 2 and its population 8.39 million in The population growth rate is 16.2 (in thousand) for , which is above the national average (13.3). Though giving population out to other regions and provinces the share of the region in country s total population is increasing. The proportion of young population in total is high, which has its implications on almost all indicators. The region is reach in soil and water resources. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers represent over 28% of the nation s water supply by rivers, and the economically irrigable areas in the region make up 20% of those for the whole country. 1.2 Stages of Development in Water Resource Development Programme was initiated as a water resource development programme in 1970 s which includes the construction of 22 dams, 19 hydropower plants (HPP) on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers ( RDA 2014) and the irrigation network, and it was also to control floods and droughts. Upon completion of, 1.8 million hectares of land will be brought under irrigation and 27 billion kwh hydroelectricity will be annually produced with installed capacity of 7490 MW. Master Plan With the Master Plan dated 1989, the was transformed into an integrated regional development project encompassing not only water resources development projects, but also investments in all development-related sectors such as agriculture, industry, transportation/communication, urban and rural infrastructure, education, health, tourism and culture. Master Planpinpointsfourbasicstrategiesforthe time perspectiveextendingto2005 in ordertoreachtargetswhichcomplementeachotherandthus form an integral whole: Development and management of water and land resources for both irrigation purposes and urban industrial uses, Improvement of landuse by introducing better farm management systems, farming practises and crop design, Encouragement of manufacturing industries by giving special emphasis to local and agriculture related resources and inputs, Improvements in socialservicesand urban infrastructures in order to better respond the needs of the people and attract qualified personel to the region. The basic development scenario in the Master Plan is to transform Southeastern Anatolia into an Export Centre Based upon Agriculture (SPO 1989). 2

3 The al Development Administration ( RDA) In order to ensure the coordination of the Southeastern Anatolia Project through a distinct unit, the al Development Administration (RDA) was established in The Administration is responsible for the planning of regional development, directing and overseeing investments made by different agencies in various sectors and ensuring the coordination of activities by various organizations and agencies. RDA also implements innovative and pilot projects for providing social and economic development in theregion. 2. SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Parallel to worldwide developments taking place in the 1990s, adopted the philosophy of sustainable development and based its activities upon the principles of human development, participation, equity and social justice. In the context of, major components of sustainable development are stated as social, agricultural, physical, spatial and environmental sustainability as well as economic viability ( RDA 2014). Environmental and cultural sustainability depends on the sustainability of natural resources and protection of environmental and cultural heritage. Economic viability is closely associated with the implementation of high-yielding projects, employment opportunities, economic development and private sector participation. Social sustainability requires the adoption of the principles of participation, equity, fairness and human resources development. 3. ACTION PLANS In 2007, the first Action Plan ( ) was prepared. The vision was for economic growth, social development and employment generation and thus for the welfare of the people in the region. The acceleration step prioritized basic infrastructure investments including those related to irrigation in the first place (Ministry of Development 2008). With the implementation of the Action Plan important outcomes were observed and significant changes took place in the. So the second Action Plan covering the period was developed in order to augment the accelerating effect of large-scale investments through innovative practices. It includes human-focused, innovative and sustainable projects and programmes. Supported by a well-developed infrastructure and institutional capacity these new programmes will focus on the following (Ministry of Development 2014): application of modern irrigationtechniques; transitiontocompetitivecropsandgoods; expandingmarketingopportunities; makingcitiesbetterplacestolive; improvingquality in educationandhealthservices; liftingupstandards in transportationandhousing; promotingnaturalandculturalfabric of theregionfortourismpurposes; establishment of logisticscentres; and development of humanresourcesandinstitutionalcapacity. 3

4 3.1 Gap finance The Master Plan provided an overall framework for regional development. Based on investment projections for the period plus public investments completed before 1990, the public funding required for the completion of the by 2005 was calculated as 32 billion US$. However, following the finalization of the Master Plan, there have been deviations from the objectives of the plan due to the significant developments in and in the region contradicting the presumptions and due to the financial constraints in the public sector. On the other hand, new development approach and concepts come to the forefront in the world. Consequently, preparation of a new plan became necessary with an innovative approach for the development of the region ( RDA 2014). In this context, the first al Development Plan ( ) and following that the Action Plans have been prepared. These plans consist of social development, the environment, conservation of natural and cultural assets as well as new projects and programs (Ministry of Development 2008, 2014). 3.2 DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REGION With the implementation of action plans, investments in agriculture, transportation, industry, urban infrastructure, education, health, employment and social protection that lay the basis for human and social development yielded quick and positive improvements in economic and social development indicators (Table 1). Table 1. Main Social and Economic Indicators of Intermediate and Current Development Population (million) 6.6 (1) 67.8 (1) Population growth rate (in thousand) Population density (people/km2 ) Household size (person) Infant mortality rate (per thousand) 24.8 (1) 18.2 (1) (1) 88 (1) (1) (5) 4.0 (5) (1) 43 (1) 17.5 (2) Irrigated area (ha) Main irrigation canal (km) Highways (km) Motorway (km) Divided Highways (km) Airports 7 (3) 26 (3) Fare (thousand people) Number of organized zone 955 (3) (3)

5 Number of small industrial sites Education enrollment ratio (%) - Pre-school Primary education Secondary education Number of students per classroom Number of state universities (3) Number of students at universities Number of hospitals (4) (4) Number of beds (4) (4) Beds for persons (4) 26.6 (4) Number of specialists (4) (4) Total doctors (4) (4) Employment (thousand) Labor force participation rate (%) Number of incentive certificates(units) Incentive value (fixed assets investment, million) Employment foreseen in investment incentive certificates (person) (5) (5) (5) 46.9 (5) Export (million USD) Import (million USD) (1) 2000, (2) 2009, (3) 2004, (4) 2014, (5) 2008 Significant progress is marked in irrigation investments which constitute the main component of the Southeastern Anatolia Project; 16 dams and 1032 km of main irrigation canals were constructed. The land under irrigation reached 474,528 hectares. land consolidation and on-farm development services of 2.4 million hectares have been completed. This is the largest land consolidation operation, covering 1551 villages and a population of about 1 million, in the world given effect in a single. 5

6 Closed drainage project covers 55,000 hectares of land, and drainage work on 40,383 hectares of land is completed. 7,416 km long part of the planned 9,000 km long drainage network is also completed. The Agricultural Training and Extension Project (ATEP) was launched to deliver training and extension services in areas already under irrigation or will be brought under irrigation and to enhance the capacity of organizations delivering such services including farmers organizations. Within the scope of the project, a technical staff of 2,181 people reached 140,000 farmers through 1,676 activities. ATEP Farmer Focused Pluralistic Dissemination Model has been developed. The model aims to strenghten administrative and technical capabilities of farmer organizations so that they can provide efficient dissemination and consultancy services. From 2013 to the end of 2015, 4,375 technical staff has carried out 1,097 activities and reached 27,159 farmers directly and 135,500 farmers indirectly. In the region 13 HPPs are in operation. The total installed capacity of these HPPs is 5,534 MW and annual electricity production potential is 20.6 billion kwh (74% of physical realization). Until the end of 2015, billion kilowatt-hours of electrical energy has been produced in the region, and the monetary value of energy produced is 25 billion USD (1 kwh = 6 cents). Almost half of s annual hydro electric energy production is provided from the. Investments in transportation were given specific importance to boost marketing opportunities in the region and ensure easy access, and the highway transportation infrastructure was improved significantly. The highway network in 9 provinces in the region reached 6,350 km. In 2002 the region had a motorway network of only 63 km, which reached 294 km at the end of As for divided highways, total network of 304 km increased to 2,183 km in the same period. In order to maximize all sectors contribution to development, industrial infrastructure was improved and incentive and training programmes were implemented to support enterprises and improve the quality of employment. Upon the introduction of the new incentives system in the plan period, there is remarkable increase in private sector investments in the region especially after June While export from the region totaled 689 million USD in 2002, it reached 8.8 billion USD in The share of the region in country s total export increased from 1.9% to 6.1%. Three techno parks were launched at three universities to enhance the technology development and innovation capacity of the region. Improving the work of and ensuring the institutionalization of these techno parks constitute important steps to take to carry industry-university cooperation further. It was aimed to boost economic development by promoting competitive environments in urban centres with high investment potential in the region and in this line the Attraction Centres Support Programme (ACSP) was launched for the first time under the Action Plan. Hosting various civilizations in all periods of history, the region is quite rich also in terms of culture and tourism assets. Efforts were made to protect and use cultural properties for tourism purposes, to improve tourism infrastructure with the expectation to attract more tourists to contribute to regional social and economic development and to diversify tourism alternatives by introducing tourist attraction centres. In this context, projects for restoration, environmental arrangements, protection-conservation 6

7 oriented development plans and street sanitation were attached specific importance and accelerated. The restoration of 92 pieces of antic cultural properties was completed in the period There is increase in rates of school enrolment at all levels in the region and the number of students per classroom is reduced. In order to increase transition from primary to secondary education and rates of secondary school enrolment, student dormitories were constructed. With 6 new state universities, presently all provinces have a university which means a significant progress in transition to higher education. Priority was given to launching new education units fit for the needs of the region. There was also increase in the number of academic programmes and students admitted while students were accorded setter environments and circumstances to conduct their studies. Since the initiation of the project, healthcare facilities have been significantly upgraded. There were 75 hospitals, and 8,488 beds in the region in In 2014, these figures were 123 and 16,895 respectively. The number of beds per 10,000 persons increased from 13 to 20,5. Infant mortality rate dropped from 48.3 in thousand in 2002 to 15.9 at the end of The Social Support Programme (SSP) which was the outcome of the first Action Plan later scaled up to other regions extended support to 3,242 projects with a total fund of about 420 million TL in the period covering such headings as occupation building, social inclusion and cultural, artistic and sportive activities. Development Agencies were established to ensure that production factors in the region are utilized in most efficient way on the basis of participation subsidiarity, institutionally capable to implement long-term and wide perspective policies and programmes. The newly established three development agencies started to extend comprehensive support that contributes to the competitive power of the region. 4. THE COMPETITIVENESS AGENDA FOR THE REGION The Competitive Agenda for the was developed in The vision for the region, which has widely been recognized as the cradle of the civilizations, is envisaged to be the cradle of sustainable civilizations ( GIDEM, UNDP, 2007). The objective is to enable the region to integrate to global markets with a unique value proposition. The competitive agenda is based on two main strategies and three cross-cutting and supporting sectoral action lines. The main strategies are sustainable production strategy and entrepreneurship development strategy. The supporting action lines are internationalization strategy, applied technology strategy, and clustering and networking strategy. As a result three major sectors which will make the region a trademark were identified. These are renewable energy, tourism and organic agriculture - organic textile - organic clothing. As shown in Figure 1, the three sectors chosen are not the only sectors that will be impacted by the strategy. The figure indicates directions in which the region s economy can evolve ( GIDEM, UNDP, 2007). 7

8 Figure 1. The Future of the Yesterday (1970 s) Today Tomorrow (2023) Traditional Agriculture Conventional Modern + Organic Agriculture Agriculture Low Tech+Handmade Textile Industrialized Textile Value-Added (Export-Oriented) Textile/Apparel Domestic/Religious/Health Cultural/Convention Fertile Crescent /Business Tourism /Business/Tourism Tourism Primary Health Services Medium Level Health Specialized High Services and Medium Level Health Services Transport Services Transportation Transportation, Logistics Air-Cargo Basic IT Services Specialized IT Services Conventional Energy Hydro Energy Renewable Energy 5. CONCLUSION started as a water resources development programme, and with Master Plan it became a multi sectoral and integrated regional development project based on the concept of sustainable development. The main compenent of the project was irrigation and the basic development scenario was to transform region into an Export Centre Based upon Agriculture. Later Master Plan revised, the Competitive Agenda and new action plans were developed and put into implementation. The social and economic indicators of the region have importantly changed. Now the Action Plan ( ) is being implemented that its primary objectives include the completion of continuing investments, full utilization of the potential created by investments so as to accelerate economic, social and cultural development; enhancement of the competitive power of the region and carrying the project further ahead. It includes human-focused, innovative and sustainable projects and programmes. REFERENCES -GIDEM, UNDP Competitiveness Agenda for the. Entrepreneur Support Centers Project al Development Administration ( RDA) An Overview Of The South-Eastern Anatolia Project.OdakOfset. 23(9): 3-15 Republic of Prime Ministry State Planning Organization (SPO) Master Plan. Nippon Koei Co. Ltd. Tokyo, Japan&YükselProje A.Ş. Ankara,. 4: 1-15 Ministry of Development Republic of. Action Plan ( ).5-10 Ministry of Development Republic of Action Plan ( ). Cosmic Creative